Wang Chucun was born in [[831]], during the reign of [[Emperor Wenzong of Tang|Emperor Wenzong]]. His family was from the [[Tang Dynasty]] capital [[Chang'an]], and his ancestors had served as officers in the imperial [[Shence Armies (神策軍)]] for generations. His father Wang Zong (王宗) was not only a highly-ranked general in the Shence Armies, but was also a skillful merchant. It was said that Wang Zong became so rich that he was able to be extravagant in his food and to have thousands of servants. Wang Chucun himself started his career as the commander at a Shence Army base, and he later became a general and a patrol commander.<ref name=BT182>''[[Book of Tang]]'', [[:zh:s:舊唐書/卷182|vol. 182]].</ref> Yet later, he was made the overseer (制置使, ''Zizhishi'') of the army at Ding Prefecture (定州, in modern [[Baoding]], [[Hebei]]), then the capital of Yiwu Circuit.<ref name=NBT186>''[[New Book of Tang]]'', [[:zh:s:新唐書/卷186|vol. 186]].</ref>
